REALTOR® Day on Beacon Hill 2012

Today the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR), a state affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), held the 27th annual REALTOR® Day on Beacon Hill from 9:30AM to 11AM. The meeting was held in the historically renowned Great Hall, part of the Massachusetts State House.

The purpose of this function was to convene and discuss how to better “protect the rights of homeowners against regulations and legislation that threaten the buying and selling of real property” according to NAR’s President Trisha McCarthy. Part of the association’s mission is to “promote free and open competition, and zealously safeguard human dignity by defending human rights.”

This is part of why it is important to note the large distinction between REALTORS® vs real estate agents. It is the responsibility of a REALTOR® to uphold the highest ethical standards by swearing allegiance and to set the bar for real estate professionalism. These particular gatherings keep REALTORS® focused on their credo, refresh past information in order to maintain real estate licenses, to inform of new legislature and related issues, and to continue to stretch REALTORS® minds by continuing their educational process.

Here are some of the issues discussed at today’s meeting:

Continuing Education

Copper Pipe Theft Prevention/Abandoned Property Registry

Homebuyer Assistant Programs

Home Rental Tax

Real Estate Transfer Taxes

Mandatory Energy Audits

Of these issues REALTORS® support:

Continuing Education (meeting required 12-20 hours every two years)

Copper Theft Prevention (the implementation of registries for metal dealers and abandoned properties

Homebuyer Assistance Programs (a $2,500 grant offering upon closing which is contingent on state endowments

They are AGAINST:

Home Rental Tax (monthly reporting to the department of Revenue for ALL months, regardless of rent received, potential errors in tax management resulting in penalties as well as complications in audits)

Real Estate Transfer Taxes (discriminatory by targeting only home buyers and sellers, unreliable source of means, inability to finance sales tax, possibly diminishing the equity of the home value)